White Bottlebrush

White Bottlebrush (Callistemon salignus) is the bottlebrush to plant when you want a tree rather than a shrub. Left to grow it reaches about 7m tall and 4m across, holds its foliage all year, and carries soft cream to white brushes instead of the usual red. Each flush of new leaves opens pink to bronze, so the canopy colours up twice a season.

Why you'll love it

• Cream flowers rather than red. The pale brushes sit comfortably beside almost any planting scheme, which a scarlet bottlebrush cannot.
• Pink new growth. Every flush opens pink to bronze before hardening to green, a second season of colour without a flower.
• It handles wet ground. It grows wild along watercourses, so it copes with soil that stays soggy for days after rain, and it is drought tolerant once established.
• Birds work it hard. Honeyeaters, lorikeets and native bees all feed on the brushes while they last.

Where it works best

Tall screening and windbreaks. Plant 2m apart for a tall screen. The canopies knit above fence height while each trunk keeps room to thicken, and a staggered double row at the same spacing filters wind.

Shade and avenue planting. At 7m this is a proper small shade tree, and the even habit suits a driveway or avenue.

Coastal and low lying gardens. Salt wind does not burn the foliage, and the tolerance of wet feet makes it a safe choice for the low corner of a block where water sits after rain.

Growing White Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade produces a looser, leggier tree. It performs from tropical and subtropical gardens through warm temperate to cool temperate districts, and it is properly frost hardy.

Soil. Almost anything, including heavy clay and ground that drains slowly. Dig a wide hole rather than a deep one so the roots can spread, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, because standard garden fertilisers can damage the roots of this family.

Pruning. Trim straight after the brushes finish, taking the spent heads and a little of the wood behind them. It reshoots from old wood, so an overgrown tree can be cut back hard and will recover.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in seven sizes: tube, 200mm and 250mm packs, 300mm and 400mm pots, then 45L and 100L specimens. Tube and 200mm plants are young and single stemmed, the sensible choice for a long boundary. The 300mm and 400mm pots stand knee to waist high, and the 45L and 100L trees arrive with a formed canopy.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet fortnight after planting, then steady growth. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to grow and care for callistemon
• Compare the full bottlebrush range
• Browse hedging and screening plants
• More bird attracting plants for the garden

Common questions

Can I keep it smaller than 7m?

Yes. Trimmed after each flowering it holds easily at 3m to 4m, though expect one season without flowers after a hard cut.

Will it grow in soil that stays wet?

It will. This is a creek and floodplain species, so it tolerates ground that stays wet for several days after rain. Permanently waterlogged soil is still too much.

Is it a fast grower?

Yes, one of the quicker natives at this size. With water through the first two summers it puts on solid height each year, then slows as it builds width.